From basketball arenas to high school classrooms, violence &045; or at least the threat of violence &045; seems more prevalent than ever.

Even during last week’s Adams County Circuit Court trial of Greg Moffett, crowd outbursts and crude weapons found in the bathrooms of the courthouse were frightening to the jury and to trial observers.

Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown, whose department is responsible for security in the courtroom, was right to increase the presence of law enforcement officers as the trial went on. In the end, nothing happened to necessitate their presence &045; or, perhaps more accurately, nothing happened because of their presence.

Now Brown has ordered new security measures &045; a metal detector and an X-ray machine &045; to help increase courthouse security in the future.

But he needs financial assistance from the Adams County Board of Supervisors to pay for personnel to help run the machines.

Whether we like it or not, these security measures should be the rule, not the exception.

While it is impossible to predict just which trials or courtroom proceedings will become so emotional or tense as to warrant additional security, we can predict, thanks to the society in which we live, that we will have another trial which becomes threatening.

And we need to keep the judges, juries, attorneys, witnesses and other court participants safe.

We hope the board of supervisors will consider assisting with security at the courthouse &045; they may have no choice.